Carte Blanche is a forthcoming James Bond novel written by Jeffery Deaver. Commissioned by Ian Fleming Publications, it will be published in the United Kingdom by Hodder & Stoughton on May 26, 2011 and in the United States by Simon & Schuster on June 14, 2011. Carte Blanche will be the thirty-seventh original James Bond novel and the first to have a contemporary setting since The Man with the Red Tattoo by Raymond Benson was published in 2002.

Carte Blanche updates James Bond’s backstory to fit with the 21st century setting, making it the first ever reboot of the literary James Bond series. Deaver has stated that his Bond will have been born in the early-1980s, making him a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan (Operation Herrick) and Iraq instead of a World War II veteran and Cold War secret agent as originally conceived by creator Ian Fleming.

Set in mid-2011, the story will take place over a period of four or five days. According to the official press release, “as part of his latest assignment, the modern-day secret agent travels with Emirates airline and spends a number of thrilling hours in Dubai both meeting up with an old friend and tracking a very disturbing villain. The novel’s setting encompasses Deira and Port Saeed, and the history of the Emirates provides an exciting backdrop for some heart-stopping action.” The 00 Section will be portrayed as a shadowy assassination division of the Secret Intelligence Service that disavows its agents if they are compromised during an assignment.